Closure for pressurized fluid tank



July 23, 1968 HOLMES 3,393,717

CLOSURE FOR PRESSURIZED FLUID TANK Filed Sept. 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l no I42 FIG.4

INVENTOR ALL IE B. HOLMES av ATITORNEYS July 23, 1958 HOLMES 3,393,717

QCLOSURE FOR PRESSURIZED FLUID TANK Filed Sept. 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.6

INVENTOR ALLIE B. HOLMES ATTORNEYS United States Patent CLOSURE FOR PRliSSflRIZED FLUID TANK Allie B. Holmes, Corpus Christi, Tex., assignor to Carrl gili: a partnership composed of Jeff Carr and William arl Filed Sept. 27, 1965, Ser. No. 490,505 14 Claims. (Cl. 141-311) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention is an attachment for automotive radiators, permitting visual access to the interior of the radiator and safe filling thereof when needed without danger of either overpressure or overflow from overfilling. It simply comprises a modification to the pressure cap, a filling nozzle viewer adapter which is seated between the cap and the radiator, said viewer and tank inlet having valve control to ensure maintenance of operating pressure, safe filling without dangerous loss of pressure and a means for avoiding overpressure and/ or overfilling.

The present invention relates to vehicular coolant control systems, and more specially to means for visually inspecting and controlling the filling capacity and overfill control. More especially, the invention relates to the modification of existing automotive radiator closures and the caps thereof.

The present invention is related to my copending patent application Ser. No. 259,088, filed Feb. 18, 1963, entitled Closure for Pressurized Fluid Tank; and 355,288, filed Mar. 27, 1964, entitled Tank Viewer and Injection Fitting.

In this invention the principal objectives involve the conversion of existing radiator closures into a novel system for injecting the overall coolant reservoir or tank with additional coolant at the time that the existing coolant has been heated or superheated by operation of the engine. The objective is, moreover, to effect a means of viewing and injection with needed additional coolant with safety, irrespective of the relation of injected pressure to interior pressure, during the time that the system is under operating pressure created by the engine. One thus provides hereby the visual means for ascertaining the necessity of added coolant to an engine cooling system and to provide, when necessary, means whereby the system may be injected safely with the necessary coolant.

In this system, there is safety over-pressure release and, with means for filling without venting the tank to the atmosphere. Atlernately, fluid level viewing can be undertaken by making the critical parts out of transparent materials or of making a coolant return pipe out of transparent tubing.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates an exploded view of the various elements used in the assembled and converted radiator closure shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 2 illustrates the assembly of the elements of FIG. 1 in a preferred form of service as a valve controlled, over-pressure closure system;

FIG. 3 illustrates the invention of FIGS. 1 and 2, the system being injection filled, internally;

FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modification of the invention shown in FIG. 3, this system being adapted to external injection filling;

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another modification of invention, the same being adapted to the conventional radiator system but is in modification thereof;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary exploded view of the overpressure control system 230 illustrated in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is an adaptation of the basic concept of FIG. 5

ICC

to a closed or substantially closed pressurized radiator tank.

To modify the well known closure cap such as one finds in the cooling system of vehicular engines is a sim-' ple matter within the concept of invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 inclusive. There, the system is adapted to the conventional radiator tank having fixed thereto the outlet channel 112. These are conventional elements joined together as at 114 to form an open cavity to relieve overpressure and to accommodate the system in filling. The conventional cap 116 is apertured as at 118, sufliciently to accommodate a transparent tank viewer 120, the latter overlying the aperture 118 by rim 122 and extending convergently via walls 124 into the interior of the closure terminating by cone form in a constricted opening 128 which is defined by the upturned rim 126. A suitable gasket 130 seals the rim 122 of the transparent viewer 120 to the cap aperture 118 and by virtue of the compression of spring 136 forces the spring disc 138 and cap into sealing relation with the closure, per se. The compression spring 136 is calibrated to resist normal interior pressure but to compress upon excess pressures. In the system, a suitable overpressure exhaust pierces the wall of closure 112. Adjacent the base of the viewer 120 are two discs 132 and 134 each being apertured appropriately to lie just inside the corresponding rim 126 of the viewer so that the upturned flange 126 of the viewer may be forced by the action of the compression spring 136 against the semirigid disc 134. This disc 134 thus prevents a distortion of the valve gasket 132 which is made of a more resilient material and which is suitable for sealing the closure against internal pressures until such pressures shall become excessive, forcing the elements 132 and 134 upward to exhaust through the port 140 any overpressure existing in the system either during operation and/ or during filling. The safety benefit of filling when the engine has heated the coolant to dangerous pressures will be apparent to all.

From careful examination of FIGS. 1 through 3 inclusive, one will appreciate that the assembly includes now a valvular control exhaust system which is adapted to either overfilling or overpressure within the system while at the same time including an unidirectional valvular control for filling the system. To explain, reference is made to the assembly .140 including the concave valve element 142' and stem to which is affixed a compression spring seat 144' retaining spring 146 against compression contact with the interior of the viewing cone 120. The relation of the valve 142 to the filling of the system is best shown in the operation concept in FIG. 3 where liquid coolant is being injected into the system, compressing the valve spring 146 to open the valve system 140" Noteworthy is the fact that by this filling action, the possibility of overfilling or overpressure is not effected by the filling in view of the fact that the control gasket 132 may be unseated upwardly to exhaust excessive overpressure or overfill through the port 140.

The relative size of the injection nozzle 150 is unimportant here because the conical interior of the viewer will accommodate a variable number of sizes of hose, as will be apparent.

The modification of FIG. 4 results in a substantially simpler conversion of the existing radiator cap by boring a suitable aperture in the cap to accommodate a cylindrical transparent viewer 120', the same being sealed to the converted cap 116 by means of gasket .130 interposed therebetween. The other elements of the invention are substantially the same as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, excepting that in the FIG. 4 modification, an injection nozzle 150 is adapted to overlay the conically shaped rim 122 thereof. This, then permits filling the tank from the outside rather than from internal injection shown in FIG.

3. Obviously injection nozzles or hoses of variable dimension may be employed, as before.

A further modification of existing radiator closure systems is illustrated in FIG. 5. Here, the radiator cap is apertured the same as in FIGS. 1 and 2, however, the viewer and filling system is now adapted to repose at the tank seat, the viewer being retained in a lower position by the compression spring 136. This modification provides greater protection to the viewer as will be apparent. The viewer 220 comprises open end 222 having a shoulder upon which the compression spring 136 is adapted to rest in tension. Beneath the shoulder is a suitable gasket 230 sealing the viewer to the top of the tank. Now, in this instance, the conical wall 224 of the viewer 220 terminates in a closed bottom through which is pierced a bore 226, adapted, as shown, to exhaust the injected filling coolant into the interior of the tank. In this instance, the valve 240 comprises a circular and flexible sleeve or diaphragm which is adapted to be forced open upon injection of the coolant liquid into the system but to seal the substantially contiguous cylindrical bottom wall of the viewer 220. It thus seals against normal tank interior pressures. To accommodate for either overpressure or overfilling of the system, the unidirectional valve control best illustrated in FIG. 6 has been designed. This control 230 comprises the valve head 232 retained in normal sealing contact with the wall 220 of the viewer by gasket 232', the valve being adjustably compressed thereagainst by the confining screw 236, which is connected to the valve by suitable stem 234 between which the compression spring 238 is retained. In this instance, the conical wall of the viewer 220 is apertured at 226'. Noteworthy is the fact that the valve system 230 is a one-way valve which is calibrated to open at a slightly higher pressure than normal for the coolant system. Adjustment of compression on the spring is by way of rotation of the screw 236. In this manner, the interior pressure of the system is limited during injection.

If necessary, the entire cap top of an existing system could be eliminated and the viewing and filling cone fixed to the tank top by any suitable means, not shown. In this instance, reference is made to FIG. 7 in which the conical viewer comprises also injection filling vacuum valve 340 and pop-off limiting valve 330. This is designed by lug engagement to secure to a tank top 110 which has been modified to accommodate the locking lugs of the tank viewer 320 as shown. Here, the overpressure and pressure regulator valve is shown at 330 seated in the wall 324, the other elements including the valve 340 and corresponding filling port 326 being substantially the same, detail for detail, as the innovation of FIG. 5.

' Whereas the invention has been described with especial reference to engine cooling systems, it will be apparent that its utility may be applied to the control and filling of many pressurized fluid storage systems the interior of which must be kept under surveillance. Accordingly, the invention is restricted in scope by the language of the appended claims.

Iclaim:

1. In combination with pressurized automotive coolant tanks having an inlet closure for filling and pressure cap therefor the improvement comprising:

(a) a cap for the closure, apertured to permit filling without removal thereof (b) transparent viewer-injection means in sealed connection with the aperture of said cap and compression aligned therewith;

(cl) injection inlet valve at an exhaust end of said viewer injector; and

(c2) overpressure valve control means seated in operative contact with the viewer-injection means whereby to control and exhaust overpressure and overflow as may be created within the pressure fluid tank.

2. The improvement of claim 1 in which the viewerinjection means is in substantial sealed coextension with the inlet for said closure and secured thereto by compression contact with said cap.

3. The improvement of claim 2 in which an injectioninlet valve is disposed at the bottom of the viewer injection means and in which the overpressure valve is disposed in concentric relation to the injection-operable valve.

4. The improvement of claim 3 in which the overpressure valve control means rests in sealed spanner contact with the viewer injection means and the closure inlet.

5. The improvement of claim .1 in which the viewerinjection means is an interior extension of the inlet for said closure and sealed thereto.

6. The improvement of claim 5 wherein the overpressure control valve comprises a diaphragm, seated upon the viewer-injection means and in which the tank overpressure valve is seated within a wall of injection viewer.

7. The improvement of claim 2 in which the body of the viewer-injection means defines a cone, the open end of which is adjacent the top of the cap to receive internally thereby an injection nozzle of variable size.

8. The improvement of claim 2 in which the viewerinjection means defines a cylinder, the open end of which defines as inverted cone, adjacent the top of the cap to receive externally thereby an injection nozzle of variable size.

9. The improvement of claim 7 in which the injectionoperable valve is reciprocable.

10. The improvement of claim 8 in which the injectionoperable valve is reciprocable.

11. The improvement of claim 1 in which the viewer and injection means is secured to the tank top by cam connection.

12. The improvement of claim 11 in which the injection-operable valve comprises a flexible diaphragm.

13. The improvement of claim 12 further comprising an overpressure and overfill valve seated within the injectioln viewer in operative relation to said injection-operable va ve.

14. The improvement of claim 13 in which the injection-operable valve comprises a flexible diaphragm and in which the overpressure and overfill valve is unidirectionally reciprocable to exhaust overpressure and overfill fluids from the system.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10/1936 White 141392 6/1963 Darwin l4l-311 X 

